Where The Butterflies Go
by Lizmasuta
Summary: The question was so simple, yet had so much impact. Through all the fights that had attained a formula, through every "Lucky Charm!", every "Cataclysm!" every "Au revoir, joli Papillion!", how had they never asked it before?
1. 1: Where It Started

They had no idea where the akumas came from- or rather, where HawkMoth sent them from.

They didn't even know why they were called akuma, at first. Tikki hadn't explained that when Marinette first started out as Ladybug. It was just a name, which Tikki later explained was Japanese for "demon." It certainly wasn't a stretch; after all, they used a person's weakest moment as an opportunity to turn them into a monster (sometimes quite literally), but neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir had any idea how the person encountered the akuma in the first place. _How_ was Hawkmoth doing it? How was he finding the people just after something bad had happened to them? The villains seemed to have two agendas: whatever thing they'd set out to do _when_ they were possessed by the akuma- or "akumatized," as Ladybug and Cat Noir called it- but they also had another one. It was a constant in all the fights. They'd talk out loud to HawkMoth (who Chat and Ladybug couldn't hear) about taking Chat Noir's and Ladybug's Miraculous. Then, of course, the villain would be defeated; their weapon of choice broken, the akuma captured, and the butterfly freed from evil. Ladybug would throw whatever random object she'd gotten for a lucky charm into the air, undoing everything that the villain of the week had done. It was really quite formulaic, but the different villain themes kept it interesting, at least.

Marinette, after transforming back to normal, was left to ponder where exactly the butterflies went. There were a _lot_ of butterflies released if you added them all up, she thought as she lay on her bed at home. Did they just go do whatever little butterfly things that butterflies do, or did _they_ have a home, too? That thought made Marinette's jaw drop as she sat up suddenly. _Do they go somewhere special?_ She'd have to follow the next butterfly, if she had time before her transformation ran out. It would be more helpful to see how they infected someone, though.

The akuma victims never remembered what happened or how they became a villain, but they certainly _tried_ to remember. It had started making Ladybug sad, how everyone was so distraught and confused. Some even had children, and didn't know if they were alright, worrying out of their minds. Ladybug certainly wanted to help, she just wasn't sure how she could. She just walked over and took care of the press, if she had time. It was what she was good at. Chat Noir was the one who stayed behind with the victims, asking their names and where they lived. Sometimes, he'd even walk them home, if they were feeling well enough to stand and didn't need a police escort. It wasn't even something Ladybug and Chat talked about; it was just a pattern that arose. After pondering over the butterfly situation, however, Ladybug realized whatever Chat Noir talked about with the victims could possibly help them. The smallest little thing could mean the world, and figuring out why every akuma victim seemed to be dealing with a bad day would help a lot more.

Marinette suddenly asked Tikki if she'd mind going out as Ladybug for a while. Tikki chimed in her little voice, "Not at all! But… uh… why?"

Marinette just smiled. "Maybe if I'm out, Chat will see me and come talk! I want to talk to him. He might have some knowledge that can help out, he just doesn't know it."

Tikki scratched her head. "You can talk to me about it, if you want!"

Marinette responded as politely as possible. "No, that's fine! I'd just like to see what he talks about with the victims."

Tikki seemed confused at that. "Can't that wait until next time, Marinette?"

"No," Marinette shook her head, jumping off of her bed. "If it will help us understand the akuma better, then we have to find out before it's too late!" She opened her bag as her kwami jumped inside. Marinette opened the hatch to her bedroom, going downstairs and grabbing some cookies for later, in case Tikki needed them.

"Marinette, where are you going?" her mother asked as the girl walked towards the door.

"Just taking a walk, Mama! It's a nice day, and I've been cooped up inside since school ended!"

"Okay, then!" Her mother smiled as the door shut, and stood at the counter for a moment, before looking at the time. "Wait… she only got home twenty minutes ago." The woman stood for a few moments before shrugging. "Oh, well. I guess twenty minutes is a lot of time for a young girl to sit around…"

* * *

Adrien wasn't exactly in the mood to do anything in particular. He was off of practice, and the photoshoot for the day had been cancelled, which he knew for a fact was because of last week's akuma attack. The photographer's girlfriend had been cheating on him, then left him (and taken his dog- how cruel could you get?), and next thing Adrien knew, he was watching a man on TV wreck several shoe stores after learning his new ex's _newer_ boyfriend worked at one.

Nino wasn't available to hang around with, because he was on a date with Alya. What exactly happened in that panther enclosure, the world would never know, but Adrien knew better than anyone that some secrets were best kept that way. Adrien looked at his phone. His father usually didn't care what he was up to or who he hung out with when he wasn't on the clock (although Nino definitely wasn't on the Christmas card list), so his options were pretty open.

"How about Marinette?" Plagg asked from across Adrien's bedroom. The little cat kwami sat on Adrien's desk, eating a piece of camembert in a way that was surprisingly not as messy as usual.

"What?" Adrien looked up from his phone at the pint-sized cheese disposal chute.

"Marinette. We both know you don't want to sit around here, and _your_ friend's off being a lovebird with _her_ friend, which means they can't bother you. You two can have all the fun you want over at the bakery, enjoying sweets and playing your little video games." The kwami ended his graceful style of eating, stuffing the remainder of the camembert into his mouth. "Plus she loooves you. You might want to call ahead, first, though. If you show up at her door so suddenly like last time, she might have a heart attack!" the kwami teased.

"Knock it off," Adrien groaned, tossing a pen at Plagg. "However, going to the bakery… does seem like a good idea," he said, standing up. His mouth was already watering.

"Of course it does," Plagg laughed, shaking his head and laughing. "Don't forget me, lover boy!"

Adrien opened his jacket up and let Plagg hide in it while he walked out of his room to seek out Nathalie. It wasn't hard; she was standing in the hallway. Adrien mustered the words he wanted to say, ever careful not to let the wrong thing slip.

"Hey, um, Nathalie? Since I don't have any appointments right now, may I go take a walk to the bakery? I'd like to hang around with Marinette, and since I don't have anything else scheduled today, you won't have to worry if I get sweaty on the walk or something." Adrien assured her.

Nathalie took a quick look at her tablet to make sure there wasn't anything she could go make him do instead, and luckily for him, there wasn't. He couldn't be sent off to the places he usually was, because they required appointments. She looked at the blonde with the same bored look she gave everyone else and shrugged. "Don't get yourself too dirty, and don't spoil your dinner."

Adrien gave her his signature grin, stepped outside, and immediately frowned. Home sure didn't _feel_ like a home. In fact, he didn't remember the last time it had felt that way in the least. He shrugged and walked down the stairs from his house, watching as the gate opened, courtesy of Nathalie. He was pretty grateful that this had worked out; usually, he didn't get an opportunity like that. As free as he felt whenever he got out of school, he felt caged again whenever he stepped inside his dad's limo. What was that, a minute of freedom? Well, at least he had the freedom he wanted now.

Adrien hadn't gotten very far on his walk before he saw a blur of red and black in the sky that he recognized almost instantly. Ladybug jumped from the building closest to him on the left side of the street to the other side, and Adrien was left wondering why she seemed to be in such a rush. Was there an akuma attack right now that he hadn't heard about?! Ladybug usually didn't go swinging around the city for no reason, so Adrien started worrying right then.

Adrien turned on his heel and slipped into the nearest alleyway, speaking into his collar as he did so. "Ladybug's swinging around. We need to make sure she's not in trouble!"

Plagg flew into the air, hovering at eye level with Adrien. "Really, lover boy? She's probably just out for a stroll. Maybe she wanted to cut loose for a while."

"That's possible, yes, but we have to make sure, at least! Plagg, claws out!"

The black cat kwami didn't have time to protest as he was sucked into Adrien's ring, and the boy transformed.

* * *

"Chat Noir! There you are!" Ladybug gave him a smile as Chat jumped onto the rooftop she was standing on. "It took you long enough, didn't it? Was your kwami giving you trouble?"

"He _always_ gives me trouble," Chat looked down at his ring, before looking at Ladybug with concern. "Why are you out right now? Is there trouble? An akuma? A robbery?"

Ladybug smiled at Chat, but shook her head. "No, nothing like that! I just wanted to talk to you. I knew if I went around the city, you'd come out eventually."

"Well, you were right about that," Chat relaxed, but also looked disappointed. Ladybug stared at him oddly until he started to grin and lean closer to her, speaking in a purr. "So, what did you need me for, _my lady~?"_

Ladybug rolled her eyes and booped his nose, pushing him back. Chat leaned on the chimney behind him, smiling his usual smile. _Ladybug is so pretty and sweet and strong!_ Chat thought, watching as Ladybug shifted her weight to her other side, crossing her arms. "I need to ask you about when you're talking to the akuma victims after the battle, when I'm taking care of the press."

Chat stopped leaning against the chimney and stood up in much the same way Ladybug did. "Well, I just want to make sure they're okay. Some of them are more disoriented than others, and they need a hospital visit. The ones who don't usually at least want someone with them. If my ring isn't about to run out of power, I do my best to help."

"I'm aware of that," Ladybug said, uncrossing her arms and putting a hand on her hip. "But do they ever… _tell_ you anything? Do any of them ever _know_ what happened to them?"

Chat shook his head, standing up straight and looking down at the street. "I usually don't ask, because they're always so confused. The shock kind of fries their brains for a while, so I wait a few days to track them down and ask about the details. And, no, they don't remember much of anything. They remember getting angry or sad about whatever was troubling them, but everything after that is a blur up to when we free them."

"That's...not good," Ladybug looked disappointed, and Chat felt the same way. He wished he was able to help her. "Does this mean Hawkmoth just looks over Paris and asks, 'Who's the most emotionally distressed person in Paris today~?' Because that's literally every human being ever. No wonder that most of the victims are teenagers!"

"Some of the things aren't even that _bad_ ," Chat commented. "Sure, there's shame in the moment, but it's usually something everyone else wouldn't remember after a week, if it weren't for the akuma!"

"I know what you mean," Ladybug agreed. "I mean, Kim insults a panther's caretaker and he gets mad enough to go dinosaur and eat me?" Ladybug laughed. Chat laughed too, but quieter. He hadn't found that part of the story very funny. Ladybug could have _died_ during that fight, and for what felt like ten whole seconds, Chat thought she _had_. He had been ready to straight-up _kill_ Animan for what he'd done. Chat took a step closer to Marinette, trying to keep up a smile and forget about the fact murder had crossed his mind back then.

"Yeah," Chat replied half-heartedly. "Alix's watch breaking, no matter how special it was, led her to actually _kill_ people! How crazy is that…?"

This time it was Ladybug's turn to recollect on bad memories. Chat immediately felt terrible for that. He hadn't meant to bring the whole "him-being-erased-from-existence" thing back into her mind. She'd clearly been distressed after his disappearance, even if it didn't last that long. He hadn't been so concerned about it himself once he returned, but Ladybug was different.

"It's pretty crazy," Ladybug muttered, looking down at the rooftop for a moment before looking over the city. "I heard what happened to Nathanaël. That was pretty fair to get mad over, getting humiliated over a crush so terribly." Chat had to agree on that one, to some extent. Nathanaël really didn't deserve that. He was the type of guy that didn't seem to have one bad bone in his body- or at least, he didn't until becoming the Evillustrator. Then, he'd tried to kill Chloé with a saw blade. Chloé didn't deserve _that_ , herself. She definitely deserved _something_ , but not anything that drastic or violent. Plus there was the fact that Chat had almost fallen to his death, what with the ball and chain. Cats always landed on their feet. Chats, however... not so much.

Chat took his mind off of it and looked to Ladybug. "Well, my lady, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes, actually," Ladybug said, a face full of excitement showing. It wasn't a smile, more like a stern, determined face, but Chat could tell whatever she wanted to talk about was important. (What Ladybug wanted to talk about was _always_ important to Chat, but this wasn't going to be just anything.) "It's a question I can't believe neither of us have asked until now."

Chat cocked his head to the side. "What would that be, my lady?"

 _"_ _Where do the butterflies go?"_

That stopped Chat's thoughts in their tracks. It was a simple question, with so much impact that just like Ladybug, Chat couldn't believe that neither of them had come up with it before. The butterflies had become part of every fight in such a way that it had almost faded out of Chat's mind. It was par for the course for Chat to watch Ladybug break the object the Akuma was in, to watch it try to escape and fly away. _"_ _Au revoir, joli papillion!"_ Ladybug would say, her face lighting up as she watched the snow-white creature ascend up, up, and away.

"Do they go back to Hawkmoth?" Ladybug questioned. "What happens to them?" She shook her head, looking out over the city's roofs. "We need to follow the next one. But…" Chat felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked into Ladybug's bright blue eyes. "Whatever happens, we can't have our suits running down. We can't have prior appointments or anything. Our minds need to be clear, and we need to be _together._ If the butterflies really to go back to Hawkmoth, who knows what could be waiting for us? When we follow the butterfly, we're going to do it together. Do you understand, Chat?"

Chat Noir nodded his head. "I wouldn't even think of doing such a thing without you, Ladybug!" he said, smiling. Smiling was what Chat liked most about being with Ladybug, or what Adrien liked about being with his friends. It was natural. It was most often natural with Ladybug, but Adrien's friends were nothing to sneeze at, either. The best smiles were the ones where he didn't realise he was doing it until someone pointed it out. That happening was Chat's way of knowing that he was truly happy in that moment.

"You promise not to do anything foolish and run off on your own, Chat Noir?"

"I promise!" Chat stood up straight and brought his finger across his heart's place in his chest in an "X" motion. "Cross my heart, and, uh… Try not to die." He gave a nervous grin as Ladybug gave a smirk, and stood back.

"Time for us to go our separate ways. We need to make sure we have our energy if there's an akuma attack!" Chat nodded, and as soon as Ladybug had secured her yo-yo on a building and jumped forward, leaping towards the skies, Chat ran to the edge of the roof to watch. Her graceful, energy-filled movements… Chat could watch them all day.

"I hate to watch you leave, but I love to see you go," Chat said out loud to himself, before shaking his head and frowning, descending down into an alleyway, transforming, and walking out onto the street. Nino has a bigger influence on me than I thought, Adrien frowned to himself as he continued on his path to the bakery.

* * *

Chat was doing something foolish and running off on his own, because of course he was.

It had been two weeks since the meeting the two had, and three attacks had happened. Today, was the third one, and it had just wrapped up. That one guy from KIDS+ had been ranting about ratings or something like that when the show he starred on had been pulled from the air for lack of viewership. He apparently hadn't been given the memo yet that he was supposed to be starting another show, and thought he was about to be let go. He started through the city, destroying everything with a screen. Boy, had Alya and Nino panicked.

Ladybug had freed the akuma from the microphone the man had been brandishing a minute earlier, but disappointment was already in the air before she did so. Her Miraculous was running low, which meant that for the third time straight, Chat Noir and Ladybug couldn't go after the butterfly to finally discover where Hawkmoth was hiding.

Chat was sick of it. He was so utterly done. He hadn't even had to use Cataclysm, for once, which meant that he had ample time. Ladybug's wave of healing magic swept through the city, and even watching the destruction disappear, Chat felt anger. Not at Ladybug, for not having more time, not at the announcer for becoming angry, and for once, not at himself for failing to make sure the fight was easier for Ladybug, so her resources wouldn't be wasted. He was angry at Hawkmoth. Hawkmoth, who had been taking advantage of everyone in Paris, giving every day the possibility of being someone's downfall.

Chat waved goodbye to Ladybug as she swung along Paris's skyline, making sure to keep an eye on the butterfly. Then, he made a decision he knew he'd probably regret.

The black cat started chasing the butterfly.


	2. 2: Floor Forty-Three

**A/N: Hello! I'm glad to see so many people are already enjoying the story! Today I'll be uploading two chapters. They were originally one chapter, but I decided breaking them up would help, since Chapter 1 was so long-winded. By the way, if you're interested in following me on sites like Tumblr (where I post absentmindedly and reblog almost everything I see) or Instagram (where I post art), things like that are all in my bio on my profile!**

The former akuma was really, really, fast for a little butterfly, he'd give it that.

Chat Noir ran along the rooftops of Paris, chasing the white creature. The city was well illuminated despite the sky turning black with clouds. There was a new moon tonight, which didn't help matters, but even if there was something ridiculous like a power outage on a cloudy, new-moon night like this, Chat had his night vision. The butterfly wasn't getting to its destination without him tailing it.

Another element on Chat's side was that the butterfly seemed to be quite… dense. Butterflies being dumb didn't really make any sense, but this one seemed to be running into walls and the like before fluttering in a circle around whatever it hit and then continuing on its path. It didn't seem to even be _trying_ to shake Chat, and he felt more like he was babysitting it than chasing it. Chat ran the previous fight through his head and remembered that the possessed KIDS+ guy hadn't actually been doing that good a job of anything. He'd hardly been a 3 on the 1 to 10 difficulty scale of people that Chat Noir and Ladybug had fought before, but he'd been just tough enough that Ladybug had had to use her Lucky Charm to beat him and smash his microphone. Chat, besides causing distractions, had barely had to do anything, much less use his powers, and that was the only reason he still had his suit and Ladybug didn't.

Chat thought once more about how much of a bad idea this was. He was supposed to be at _home_ , studying for a test in his Chinese lessons. And Ladybug- what would _she_ think? He was going to get an earful when this was all over. But Hawkmoth's destruction had to end. Timebreaker had erased people from existence. The Gamer had turned people into video game points. The Mime had _toppled the_ _entire Eiffel Tower._ Animan had caused destruction as a _dinosaur,_ for crying out loud! Antibug had tied Chat to a pole and dangled him three stories above the streets of Paris… which was terrifying and humiliating all at once. Chat was done with Hawkmoth's wave of crime. If it weren't for Ladybug's akuma reversing powers… I wouldn't be here, Chat thought. The Eiffel Tower would be on its side, potentially dangerous zoo animals could be attacking people, and everyone touched by the palm of Timebreaker's hand or The Gamer's mecha's rays wouldn't be there anymore. _It has to stop,_ Chat thought to himself. _I can do it on my own. I have to. It has to stop._

Chat took note when the butterfly started upwards, climbing through the sky as he watched it fly up to a familiar building. He sighed.

"Of course," he muttered out loud, jumping up onto a chimney to watch the butterfly. "Something like them leading us to Hawkmoth is just way too good to be true." Chat decided, however pointless continuing to follow the butterfly was, that he'd developed an attachment to it. After all, he'd been babysitting it for the past half-hour now, and he could go on longer. "Come here, little butterfly," he chirped, jumping from chimney to chimney towards a darkened tower near the edge of the city. "No use flying to one of Gabriel Agreste's old towers. Nothing's in there. How about you come with me, and I'll take you to the park?"

The butterfly didn't respond because of _course it didn't, it's a butterfly, Chat. It's a butterfly. It can't understand you, because it's a butterfly. It can't respond, CHAT, IT IS A BUTTERFLY,_ Chat thought-screamed irritably to himself as he continued his ridiculous endeavor. Eventually, Chat reached the building on the street across from the tower the ditzy butterfly was going to, and he couldn't go on any longer, so he simply hopped onto the nearest non-smoking chimney and watched the butterfly continue, waving to it as it left him. _Go, my little butterfly son. Follow your dreams. You'll always have a place to come home to when…_

 _Wait,_ Chat thought suddenly. _What's it doing? What is it doing?!_

The butterfly (which he could barely see at this point) was flying up to the window of the tower. _There's nothing in there. It's just an old tower Dad- I mean, Agreste doesn't use anymore. Why's it flying to the window? What's it looking for, snacks?_

It was not looking for snacks.

The window _opened_ as Chat watched the speck of white against the dark greens of his night vision fly inside. The window's movement itself was hard to see, but something slid open and then closed.

 _Oh my god,_ Chat thought to himself, as Adrien for a few moments. _Is Hawkmoth squatting in my dad's old media tower?_

Chat carefully descended from the top of the building he was on and looked to both sides of the street. No one seemed to be on this street right now, and Chat Noir wasn't about to squander the good luck he'd gotten for once. He bolted across the street and then ran around to the back side of the tower, where the dumpsters were. He went to one of the many back doors and used the one that went down to the basement first and also had the service elevator. He did his best to jimmy the lock, but it didn't work. Chat shook his head. Could he afford to use Cataclysm right now? The answer was no. No, he couldn't. He'd have to find another way in.

Chat realized the security for the building was turned off years ago. Gabriel Agreste didn't move buildings often, but when he did, he saw no reason to leave anything behind or keep spending money on security. Agreste still owned the building, but he didn't use it and he didn't lease it. The place probably didn't even have running water. Chat had to admit, squatting in such a building was a good plan if you were an evil mastermind who might also be homeless.

Since he didn't have to worry about security, Chat walked to an employee entrance about forty feet from the basement entrance. It was a glass door with an alarm attached, and it wasn't the hardest glass around, either. Chat took out his staff and hoped his bit of good luck wouldn't run out here. He extended the staff to about three feet and wound up like a batter, striking the glass. He cringed when the glass broke, but let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when the sound was as quiet as breaking glass could get and the alarm didn't go off. Chat relaxed, and unconsciously flicked his tail as he slipped through the broken glass into the building.

After getting inside, Chat found himself in a long hall with many corners and twists. He came to a room with an elevator and a door leading to a stairwell. The blonde eyed the elevator warily, a thought only just now coming to his head. _This could be a trap. He'd expect me to take the elevator, now, wouldn't he?_ Chat thought, turning defiantly to the staircase and walking up to it. _Forty-two floors? I can do forty-two floors. I can to forty-two floors all day. I can do forty-two floors forty-two times!_

These thoughts continued for forty-one floors. Forty-two went more like, _ohmygod finally._ When Chat got to the door, though, he tensed. What lay behind it? Chat just wanted to scope it out and then leave. Would Ladybug be angry he'd gone without her? Most definitely. Would he feel better if he knew there were no traps before he brought ladybug here? _Most definitely._

Chat cautiously opened the door, holding his breath. The door made nary a sound, and Chat only let his breath out when the door had shut behind him. Chat snuck around the entire floor, carefully watching to see if anything was hiding in the shadows. He didn't know what Hawkmoth looked like, or how strong he was, and he didn't want to find out right now. Chat though he'd just been through a forty-two story tall dead end when he reached the biggest office on the floor. It was just like all the other empty rooms. There was nothing there, it was just bigger. Chat rolled his eyes with frustration, before his face contorted in a question. _What about the window?_ If Chat was on the top floor, why was there no window to be seen?

Chat looked around, more curiously than last time. There was nothing on the ceiling, was there? No hatches or anything like that. Chat walked out of the room into the hallway, and for the seconds time he noticed an elevator. The lights on the floor were out, but what if the elevator worked? Chat walked up to the elevator and pressed himself up against the cold steel doors. His ears flopped, trying to sense any sound, as his tail flicked back and forth nervously.

Nothing. _So it's gotta be safe, right?_ Chat asked himself, half seriously and half sarcastically.

Chat took another deep breath and realized there was an "up" button. _...Why is there an up button?_ Chat deadpanned in his mind, before becoming more excited and confused. _Why is there an up button?!_ He pressed it, and the elevator doors opened immediately, telling him the elevator had already been on this floor. Chat gulped, uneasiness settling over him. This didn't feel right. The stairs hadn't gone up another level, so why could the elevator?

Chat suddenly got a feeling that felt like it was coming from inside of his brain, but outside of his mind, as if someone else was in his head. He didn't recognize the voice, and his _did_ recognize the voice all at once. It didn't sound familiar, but it _felt_ familiar.

 **We have to leave. We have to leave** _ **NOW.**_ **This isn't safe. We need to leave. We need to leave. We need to leave…**

That voice continued, and Chat soon couldn't recognize where that voice ended and his began. His thoughts started meshing with the other's, and it was the most terrifying thing Chat had experienced in his life.

 **We need to leave.** _ **We need to leave.**_ _We need to leave…_

"We need to leave," Chat whispered out loud, stepping back and away from the elevator, which closed its doors. "We need to leave. We need to…" The Black Cat stopped in his tracks, and his mouth stopped forming the words from before. In an act of defiance, it instead formed the word, "No."

Chat recognized that as his own thought as he continued forward and pushed the elevator button again as the voice grew louder and more urgent. "I have to do this. I need to know if Hawkmoth's here!" He stepped inside the elevator and watched as the doors shut in front of him, illuminated by the elevator's eerie lights. He looked to the number pad, with forty-two yellow-lit buttons, but he also noticed a panel. It was discreet enough that no normal person would suspect it for anything other than a maintenance panel, but Chat know better. He slid a claw in between the panel and the wall and pried the panel off the wall. The five-inch by five-inch panel fell to the floor of the elevator with a quiet _clang_ , revealing a small, unlit button.

 _43._

 **Don't press that button. DO NOT PRESS THAT BUTTON!**

Chat ignored the voice as it screamed in his head and pressed the button. It lit up with a purple light and the elevator moved up, and the doors opened to a dark room. Chat noticed a platform on the other side of the room: a metal circle on the floor, six feet in diameter. Above it was a circular hatch. Chat walked out of the elevator into the dimly-lit room and stood on the metal circle. A short shudder below him made Chat jump a bit as the platform raised up and the hatch above him opened. He was slowly lifted into a large room with floor space half the size of the floors below it. Chat looked around with his night vision, as the room was completely dark. He saw a large hatch in the slanted wall that had to be the window the butterfly had gone into. He stepped closer to it, as the room seemed to be barren. Suddenly, the hatch opened, and Chat's eyes had to adjust to the change of light. Paris was below him, below the tower, the streets full of light and full of life. The voice was quiet.

A slight fluttering of wings made Chat turn on his heel, and he watched in awe as butterfly after butterfly, white as snow, fluttered from the corners of the room towards the middle. Chat stepped closer towards the window, startled, as he watched the cloud of butterflies gather.

"Hello, Chat Noir."


	3. 3: Sub-Level One

The voice bellowed out across the room. It wasn't the voice from Chat's head. It was different. More sinister. Before the cloud of butterflies even moved to reveal the man, Chat knew who it was.

"Hawkmoth." Chat growled, his tail starting to whip back and forth, his ears going down instinctively. He was afraid. He was terrified of this man, this man who could turn the most innocent of people into the most evil of monsters. Chat was terrified, yes, but he couldn't let his fear show. He tapped into his anger, thinking of the names of everyone he knew that Hawkmoth had hurt, either by turning them into an akuma or that akuma attacking someone else.

Nino. Nathanaël. Alya. Chloé. Sabrina. Kim. Max. Myléne. Myléne's father. Alix. Ivan. Rose. Practically the only person Hawkmoth hadn't hurt was…

...Marinette. He hadn't hurt Marinette yet, and Chat would do his best to protect Marinette from any harm. Chat used all of this rage, this pent-up anger, but he needed more. _I can't show any fear to this man,_ Chat thought, and he had to dig deeper. Not just as Chat, but as Adrien. What made Adrien angry? Frustrated? That was easy. His father and Nathalie. They abandoned him unless they were dressing him up and pushing him in front of a camera. Chloé, who'd gone from the sweetest girl he'd ever known to a spoiled brat, because her father let her get whatever she wanted.

Back to Hawkmoth, Chat had thought, letting his anger boil up in his chest. Hawkmoth had made so many people miserable. He'd nearly killed…

He'd nearly killed Ladybug. Multiple times. Chat had jumped in front of every single blast, but what if he hadn't? What if Ladybug got hit instead? That was the last straw in Chat's mind.

"I hope you're prepared to pay for everything you've done," Chat snarled. "For everyone you've hurt."

"Who's going to make me pay?" Hawkmoth smiled, cocking his head to the side. "You?"

Chat nodded, frowning, gritted teeth showing. He couldn't wait any longer. Ladybug wasn't here, no, but if Chat could take Hawkmoth down here, Paris would finally be safe, and he wouldn't have to worry about putting himself in front of any more attacks. He raced forward, his staff extending as he took the metal stick and went straight for Hawkmoth's head with it. Hawkmoth dodged to the side and tried to hit Chat in the head with his cane, but Chat dodged down, rolling away and jumping onto the wall and into the air.

 _I'm ending this._

"Cataclysm!" Chat's hand gained an aura or pure darkness and destruction, and went straight for Hawkmoth's chest. _I don't want to kill anyone, but this man has almost killed several people. He's a danger to Paris and he's a danger to me, but most importantly, he's a danger to Ladybug._

Chat charged forward, but was met with a flurry of attacks from Hawkmoth's cane. He tooks blows to the face, head, chest, and legs and rolled backwards to dodge away, choosing to charge low this time.

Hawkmoth dodged to the side once more, and Chat hit the ground then whirled to face Hawkmoth, going for his chest again, before feeling great impact on the side of his head, making him lose his balance and drop his staff. Chat teeter-tottered trying to regain his lost balance when a blow to his face on the side of his cheek sent him backwards, where he fell onto his side.. Cataclysm disappeared from Chat's hands as he fell to the floor, and then felt Hawkmoth's shoe, slowly but firmly, come down on his head, pinning it to the floor.

"If you have any shred of sense," Hawkmoth boomed above him, "you'll lay right there and let me take that ring."

"Never!" Chat said, struggling to get his hand under his body, to protect it from Hawkmoth's grasp, but yet another blow to the head from Hawkmoth's cane shocked him enough that Hawkmoth had a window. He moved his foot from Chat's head, using it to kick Chat in the stomach and roll him over. Hawkmoth stepped on Chat's chest, leaning on him with his full weight. Chat struggled to put his hand under his back as he struggled to breathe, his lungs being pressed under Hawkmoth's shifted weight. Hawkmoth pulled Chat's arm out from under his back and held his wrist with a tight grip, placing his cane on the ground to free his other hand, then gently starting to pull on the ring.

"I believe this is mine." Hawkmoth smirked. "Or at least it's mine _now._ " He smiled as Chat weakly tried to put up his other arm to stop him, but it was too late. Light washed down over him, and Chat Noir disappeared, leaving a bruised Adrien under Hawkmoth's feet, and an exhausted Plagg next to him on the floor.

Hawkmoth looked at the boy in pure shock. _Why is he looking at me like that?_ Adrien asked himself. _Does he know me?_ Adrien then slightly shook his head. _Of course he does, Adrien. Your dad's plastered your face all over Paris. He knows you're Chat Noir now… He could release your identity to the whole world! You'd never have peace again._

"You…" Hawkmoth's shock lasted but a second, and then his free hand disappeared into his vest along with Adrien's ring. When it emerged again, it was empty before it picked up Hawkmoth's cane on the floor. Hawkmoth took his foot off of Adrien and grabbed the boy behind the neck, ensuring he couldn't escape., picking him up. "Your Miraculous is mine, Adrien Agreste. And now, you are my prisoner." Adrien weakly got up, going with Hawkmoth's motion, the feeling of the man's cold, gloved hand sending shudders down his spine. But he couldn't do anything but comply. There was no use trying to fight anymore. His head was swimming, and he was bruised all over. He could barely keep his balance, and he felt like passing out. Before he got up all the way, however, Adrien picked up Plagg with his free hand, cradling the kwami to his chest. Plagg looked like hell. Adrien probably did, too, but that didn't matter. Adrien had been careless, and now Plagg was paying the price.

Hawkmoth led Adrien to the platform down into the dark room, then into the elevator. He pressed the top of his cane with his thumb, and the elevator responded with a _ding!_ as the doors shut. Adrien simply stared at the elevator walls, at the panel he'd ripped off earlier. His gaze was empty and emotionless as he thought of how stupid he had been. He was a failure. He'd gone off on his own, investigated where he wasn't supposed to, ignored reason, and hadn't even been able to hold his own in a fight. _I deserve this_ , Adrien thought to himself, as he looked down at Plagg. _But Plagg… he doesn't. And now he's getting punished because of me. My family is in danger. My father, Nathalie, possibly even my school!_

Adrien looked up at the display of the floors the elevator was on, when a number showed on the display he'd never seen in an elevator before.

 _S-1._

The doors opened to a dimly-lit hallway as Hawkmoth jerked Adrien forward and started to walk. "Welcome to Sub-Level One," Hawkmoth bellowed, his voice echoing down the hall. It was empty, except for around ten doors on either side of the end of the hallway, five doors per wall. The resembled old jailhouse doors, with bars in a small rectangle and sliding panels to shut that space closed. Hawkmoth walked Adrien towards the doors at the end of the hallway, and the boy glanced around as he walked. Most were bare, but the two doors at the end of the hallway had symbols on them in black below the bars on the door. One was a picture of a cat's paw, like on Adrien's ring. The other was five black spots inside a circle, like Ladybug's earrings. Hawkmoth turned Adrien towards the one with the cat's paw.

"Welcome to your new home, Mr. Agreste," Hawkmoth mocked, pushing the boy into the cell. It was almost nothing like an actual jail cell. There a door leading to a bathroom instead of the toilet being out in the open. There was no window, but there was a TV in the top corner of the room, facing the bed across from it, where the remote sat on the pillow. A box for a deck of cards sat at a small, lonely table with one chair.

"Awfully nice jail cell you've got here," Adrien muttered sarcastically. "Kind of surprised you're giving me a five-star room, considering the circumstances."

"Oh, please," Hawkmoth said, waving his hand as if to dispel the thought. "I may be evil, but I'm not cruel. However…" He eyed Adrien's chest, where the boy was cradling Plagg. "I'll be taking your little cat, if you don't mind."

"Never," Adrien scowled, gritting his teeth and tightening his grip around the kwami, but being careful not to hurt him. "Y-You'll hurt him."

"Oh, please, _Adrien_ ," Hawkmoth said in a way that made the boy's blood boil. "Not even ten minutes ago, you tried to kill me with ancient destructive powers, and still I have the grace to give you a nice room with a nice television and a nice bed. Yes, that little cat has caused quite a bit of trouble for me, but I won't hurt him, and I won't hurt you." Hawkmoth frowned, starting to step towards the boy, who stepped back instinctively. "Unless, of course, you decide not to hand him over. Then, I might have to resort to more..." Hawkmoth twisted the top of his cane from around eight inches down and pulled, and the top moved up, revealing a blade. " _Persuasive_ measures."

"If you want to even _touch_ Plagg, you'll have to… You'll have to…!" Adrien stuttered, backing up against the wall.

"I'll have to what? _Kill you?_ " Hawkmoth pulled the rest of the cane out, flipping the long part sheathing his blade off and tossing it behind him onto the floor. It clattered loudly before finally becoming still. Hawkmoth held his blade out in front of him, and smiled down at Adrien. Silence and tension electrified the air as Adrien, terrified and shaking, held Plagg closer still. Hawkmoth leaned forward, his face near Adrien's, and cocked his head to the side, staring straight into Adrien's eyes. Into his soul. " _Ask yourself one question, my boy._ _ **Do you really think I won't do it?**_ "

"Adrien…" A weak, high-pitched voice came from between Adrien's hands. Adrien opened his grip just slightly and looked into his kwami's green eyes. "Just hand me over. Don't let yourself get hurt any more."

"I-I can't," Adrien muttered. Hawkmoth stood over him, but he didn't care. "I can't let him take you."

"Don't be an idiot, Adrien! I'm supposed to protect you!" The kwami looked up at him angrily, before calming down and sighing. He couldn't even lift himself out of Adrien's hands. "Give me to him, or it'll only be worse for both of us."

Adrien could feel tears starting to well up in his eyes, and opened his hands up, holding Plagg's small body out towards Hawkmoth. "Okay."

Hawkmoth smiled, leaning back and lowering his sword. "What an obedient young boy." He mocked Adrien once more as he picked up Plagg by his tail. He stuffed the kwami into the pocket of his pants as if Plagg was just a worthless piece of paper; a note to be thrown away later. Hawkmoth turned on his heel to leave, picking up the end of his cane and sheathing his sword, twisting the top to lock it in place.

"I'll bring you breakfast later. See you later, Chat Noir… Hawkmoth turned and shook his head at the door, correcting himself. "Oh, I'm sorry. _Adrien._ "

"Don't call me that," Adrien muttered as Hawkmoth started to shut the door.

"I can call you whatever I want, Agreste. After all, without your ring…" Hawkmoth smiled. "You're not Chat Noir, now are you?" He slammed the door, leaving Adrien alone in his cell.


	4. 4: To The People Of Paris

Marinette walked into school as happily as ever, into the courtyard of the school. It was simply another normal day. The oddest thing, however, was that no one seemed to be _in_ the courtyard.

"Hello?" Marinette called out. "Where is everyone?"

Marinette heard a shout from up above, in Miss Bustier's class. It was Nino, and he looked worried.

"Marinette, you're here!" He said. "Get up here, quick!"

Marinette hurried up the stairs as fast as she could, sensing the urgency in Nino's tone. "What's wrong, Nino?" she asked as soon as she got up the stairs. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"In here!" Nino grabbed her by the arm and led her into the classroom, and she didn't object. She was too puzzled by the current situation to care. The entire class was near the front of the room, crowded around a laptop on Miss Bustier's desk. The teacher was covering her mouth in shock, and everyone else seemed to be in some distress, too. They all turned to see Marinette when she entered.

"Marinette!" Alya shouted when she saw the black-haired girl. "Come here, now! You have to see!"

"What is it?" Marinette asked, as students moved out of the way to let her see the screen. She immediately gasped. It was a news feed of the front of the Agrestes' mansion, and Gabriel Agreste stood in front of the camera with Nathalie on the side. The report at the bottom of the screen read, "Adrien Agreste Reported Missing."

"What?!" Marinette almost screamed, looking around the room in disbelief. Adrien wasn't there She turned back to the laptop in panic. "What happened? He's missing?!"

"They're sayin' Adrien disappeared yesterday, a little bit before that akuma attack the other day," Nino said, his voice full of worry. "They say he probably went to hide from it, but from there they don't know what happened to him."

"What?!" Marinette asked again, running a hand through her bangs. "This can't be… What could've happened?!"

"Marinette, I know you're worried, but we need to hear what Mr. Agreste is saying," Miss Bustier said, gently putting a hand on Marinette's shoulder. Marinette nodded as she let out a little whimper, and the class refocused their attention on the screen.

"Since around 7:00 P.M. yesterday, my son, Adrien Agreste, has been missing. We've desperately been looking around for him, to no avail. I ask the public, if you have any information on the whereabouts of my son-" Gabriel Agreste pushed his glasses back into place, as Marinette pondered Gabriel Agreste's voice and expression. He didn't actually seem that worried, despite the fact he was on TV asking the public for information on his missing son. It just looked like a press conference. Nathalie looked like the only person there able to show human emotion, and even then she didn't look worried for Adrien in particular. "Please contact me as soon as possible. The number is…"

"I can't believe this is happening," Marinette gasped, turning and hugging Alya, who hugged her back.

"There, there, Marinette, it'll be alright. They'll find him, I'm sure they-"

" **People of Paris!"**

Marinette turned around, her ears recognizing the voice coming from the laptop. She stared at the screen, hew jaw dropping as Hawkmoth's face filled the screen.

" **Hello, everyone. My name is Hawkmoth, and I am the man who has been unleashing akumas on Paris. I have turned the people of this city into weapons of destruction, and those affected don't even remember what they did! I have taken Paris's peace away… But that isn't all I've taken."**

The video of the smiling man cut to a feed from someplace that looked like a prison cell, and lying on the bed was none other than Adrien.

"Oh, my god," Alya gasped, and Nino shook his head.

"What's going on!?"

"He's hacked the news feed, I'd guess-"

"Shhh!" Marinette hissed, getting closer to the laptop and turning the volume up.

" **There's your precious Adrien Agreste, Paris. Don't worry, citizens- I won't harm him. After all, I don't have any qualms with him. The real person I want is…"** The video cut back to Hawkmoth, smiling with smug satisfaction. " _ **Ladybug."**_

 _Oh, no,_ Marinette thought, staring at the monitor. _Hawkmoth kidnapped Adrien to get my attention?! How far is this maniac willing to go?!_

" **Now, I know you and a certain cat are… partners, are you not? You and one** _ **Chat Noir.**_ "

Marinette stared at the screen in shock. The video cut again. This time, to footage of Hawkmoth fighting off Chat Noir.

" **What you are watching is footage from my very own residence where Chat Noir found me. He attempted to defeat me all on his own. You should really keep your cat on a shorter leash, madam."** Marinette watched the video intently, until Chat Noir went for Hawkmoth's chest with- _was that Cataclysm?!_ \- and Hawkmoth hit him over the head with his cane. She forced herself to look away, and so did many of her other classmates. The feed cut back to Hawkmoth again, who chuckled. " **Adrien is not the only person I have. Chat Noir is now in my grasp. And if you want your partner and Paris's favorite model back, you'll come find me, and you will give me your Miraculous. If you do not come find me in the next twenty-four hours…"** Hawkmoth smiled into the camera. " **Not only will I reveal Chat Noir's identity on live television, I will make sure he and Adrien Agreste never see the light of day again. Ladybug… The ball's in your court."**

The feed cut out, and the video returned to the camera pointed at the Agreste Mansion. On the screen, Gabriel Agreste frowned, staring somewhere off-camera while Nathalie stood, looking shocked. Chatter started up around the students almost immediately as the news fee cut to the newsroom where the anchor stood, as shocked as Nathalie had looked just a moment earlier.

"Adrien's been kidnapped?!"

"And Chat Noir, too!"

"What are we going to do?!"

"What did he mean, 'never see the light of day?' Is he going to hurt them? What if he kills them?!"

Marinette simply stood, her hands over her mouth, staring at the anchor gathering his thoughts and starting to report on the situation at hand. She felt hands on her shoulders, and looked to see Alya.

"Mari, you okay?" She asked, worried.

"Yeah, I am, I'm just… feeling a little dizzy…" Marinette's thought swirled around in her head, unable to organize. She couldn't leave right now. She had twenty-four hours, after all, didn't she? She didn't have to worry about Chat- she knew he could handle himself, but what about Adrien? The thought of Hawkmoth's threat almost made her sick. How could she find Hawkmoth? How did Chat? Suddenly, she gasped. _He must have followed the butterfly without me,_ she gaped, although she was too worried to be angry. _How could he be so stupid?! Oh, you silly kitty, you went off on your own and got yourself hurt!_ She thought again of the video of Hawkmoth fighting Chat Noir. Chat lunging for Hawkmoth with Cataclysm, Hawkmoth mercilessly whacking him upside the head with his cane…

"I need to go to the bathroom…" Marinette said, stepping back from the computer.

"Of course, Marinette. Take as long as you need," Miss Bustier said quietly, trying to hide the worry on her face and in her tone.

"I'll go with you," Alya offered, but Marinette shook her head. On any other day, she would have said yes, but she needed to clear her head. She needed to talk to Tikki, to sort out all the information she'd gotten.

Marinette ran out of the room and down the stairs to the bathroom, pushing open the door and running to the handicapped stall, shutting the door and locking it behind her. She stood against the bathroom wall and slid down, opening her bag and peeking at Tikki.

"Marinette, this is bad," Tikki warned, looking up at her.

"I know! Chat went out on his own… In the video, he tried to use Cataclysm on Hawkmoth!"

Tikki gasped. "No!"

"He did," Marinette nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes. Hawkmoth beat him up, though… Really badly. And now Hawkmoth's got Adrien, too! What's he planning to do? He says he'll reveal chat Noir's identity… Then what? Tikki, what if he kills them both?! On live TV?!"

"Marinette, calm down! You're going to hyperventilate!" Tikki said. "Don't worry! We can save them!"

"How, Tikki?" Marinette asked urgently. "We don't know where Hawkmoth is, and for all I know, I'll only be able to track him down with another butterfly! I might be able to handle an akuma attack on my own, but…" She shook her head. "I need Chat! He's my teammate! But what if it's a trap? What if Chat got away, and Hawkmoth just wants to draw me in? But then, what about Adrien? I want to leave right now and look, but if I leave now and Ladybug shows up, what's my class going to think? They'll know I'm Ladybug!"

"Slow down!" Tikki ordered. "Tonight, we can go looking for Hawkmoth's lair. We'll have to be careful, but we can do it. But we won't give Hawkmoth your Miraculous. We'll get Adrien out of there to safety, then we'll find Chat Noir and fight Hawkmoth if we need to!"

Marinette sighed, taking deep breaths. "You're right… You're right. I can do this. For Adrien. For Chat. For Paris. I have to." She stood up straight again, closing her bag once Tikki was inside and walking out of the stall into the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face and stared into the mirror, giving her most determined look before thinking about the situation more, and sighing again. She walked out into the courtyard, then back into class. Kidnappings didn't cancel school days. Marinette would have to wait to save Adrien, and Ladybug would have to wait to save Chat Noir.


	5. 5: Selfish Tomcat

Night had fallen on Paris, but the citizens were still up. They were gossiping about the kidnapping and who they thought "Hawkmoth" was. They were worrying over Adrien Agreste, and to a lesser extent, Chat Noir. Ever so often, people would stop and gaze at the sky, hoping to see a streak of red, to see Ladybug racing over Paris's nightscape towards wherever she thought the villain's lair was. They hoped she'd rescue Adrien… and that cat guy, too, if she felt like it. Some people probably hoped that Ladybug wouldn't come, and Chat Noir's identity would be revealed. Maybe then they'd be one step closer to figuring out Ladybug's identity, too.

Ladybug could not allow that to happen.

She crossed the buildings in utter silence, trying to be as stealthy as possible. She didn't really want the people of Paris to know she was, indeed, on her way to go fight Hawkmoth… After all, if they knew, Hawkmoth would probably find out, and then he'd be extra prepared. She didn't really like how that sounded.

Ladybug tried her best not to worry about Hawkmoth's threat. He might not have meant "they'll never see the light of day again" as in he'd _kill_ them, but with the things Hawkmoth had unleashed on the city already, there was no way to be sure. She had to wonder if Adrien and Chat were alright. From the look of the camera feed from the broadcast, Adrien was actually being treated pretty nicely, but Chat… Chat had taken a beating. Sure, the Miraculous suits helped stop damage (the first thing to Ladybug's mind was back when Chat Noir had been thrown across the city and ended up hitting three cars), but they didn't cover the head or most of the face, and Hawkmoth had hit Chat right in the head. _I hate to admit it, but Hawkmoth's right,_ Ladybug said, stopping next to a chimney to look over Paris one more time. _I need to keep you on a tighter leash, kitty._

There was a problem with Hawkmoth's threat, however. How the hell was Ladybug supposed to find a _hidden lair_? Hawkmoth had kept saying she'd figure it out, but honestly, she was stumped. _Where are you, kitty?_ Ladybug asked in her head, desperation starting to come over her as she realized Hawkmoth might be treating Adrien like a king, but he wouldn't show any of the same respect to Chat. _Oh, god, where is he? Is he tied up? Is he hurt?_

Ladybug's yo-yo beeped and she perked her head up at the unexpected sound. The only person who could contact her on her yo-yo was Chat… But he was captured. Had he escaped? How could he be calling her? Ladybug shook her head and opened the yo-yo like a compact, looking at the top half. Her jaw dropped in shock. On the other side was Chat, who seemed to be hiding in a dark area. He looked straight at the camera with a grave look on his face. Ladybug frowned, her joy quickly subsiding into dread.

"Ladybug." Chat said, in an odd voice. He wasn't flirty, he wasn't happy, and he in no way looked okay. His face was covered in bruises of varying size and color, and he frowned at the camera. The most notable thing, though, was that his green eyes had seemingly lost their gleam, their smile. That was what scared Ladybug the most.

"Chat!" Ladybug gasped, grasping the compact with both hands. "Are you okay? Where are you?!"

"The old Agreste communication tower," Chat informed her, his voice seemingly drained of energy. "The company abandoned it, and Hawkmoth moved in."

Ladybug looked up at the skyline, and saw the building he was talking about. There was a large window at the top- perfect for sending akumas out, she realized.

"Ladybug," Chat's voice called her attention back down to her compact, "Listen, I'm begging you. Stay where you are." Chat snapped his head up and stared off-screen, frowning at someone, and it dawned on Ladybug that Chat was probably staring at Hawkmoth. _He didn't escape. Hawkmoth wanted him to call me._ Chat shook his head and stared back at the compact. "Ladybug, I know you already figured it out, but this is a _trap!_ He just wants you to come so he can take your Miraculous! Just leave me here, it doesn't matter!"

"Chat, I _can't_ just leave you there," Ladybug spoke firmly, shocked that Chat would ask something so ridiculous. "What about you?"

"What _about_ me? Ladybug, Paris needs you!" Chat pleaded with her. "You're its hero!"

"Paris needs you, too! And so do _I!_ " Ladybug shot back. "And I can't just leave the building alone! Even if I didn't care enough to save you- which I _DO_ \- What about Adrien? Are you saying I should just leave him there?"

Chat frowned, moving back from the screen slightly, and then leaning forward again. "Adrien will be fine on his own! He's on his own all the time, anyway, so what does it matter?!"

Ladybug stared, slack-jawed, at the screen before frowning. "Chat Noir, you're being unbelievably selfish. Asking me to leave you there to wallow in your sorrow! Even worse, you're asking that I leave a kidnapped boy alone so that you can sit there and curse your own name!"

Chat looked hurt and angry and nervous, leaning back, gritting his teeth in a frown, and raising his eyebrows.

Ladybug shook her head and stared into the boy's eyes. "Like it or not, I'm coming to save you, and so help me, Chat, you better stop wallowing in pity when I get there, or I'm going to give you the _granddaddy_ of all talking-to's!" Ladybug shut her compact in frustration, and the call ended, leaving Ladybug standing, her face hot, on a Paris roof.

"That selfish tomcat!" Ladybug huffed incredulously, staring up at the tower. _How could he say something like that?_ Ladybug thought, running his words through her mind. Adrien would be fine on his own? How did _he_ know that? Ladybug, still fuming, tossed her yo-yo and secured it on a building before swinging forward. She was going to drag that kitty out by the ear if she had to.

* * *

Chat stood in silence, staring at the black screen where, just a moment ago, his partner had been yelling at him. It hadn't worked. He'd agreed to Hawkmoth's terms to tell Ladybug where he was and prove he was there, but all attempts to keep her safe had just failed. He looked up at Hawkmoth, who was brandishing a pistol (as his cane was attached to his belt), staring at him. Although he hated to admit it, Chat was shaking in his boots.

"Well, that was… _interesting,_ " Hawkmoth smiled. "Trying to save your Lady, were you?" He pointed to the floor, and Chat closed his communicator and tossed his staff on the floor. Hawkmoth kicked it further away with his foot, and grinned at Chat some more. "I wasn't expecting you to break our deal," Hawkmoth added, eyeing the boy.

"I didn't break it," Chat replied, unable to meet Hawkmoth's gaze. "You never said I shouldn't try to stop her."

"True, I did not." Hawkmoth nodded, a small grin on his face. He held out his hand towards Chat. "Well, then, Chat, I believe it's time for Adrien to go back to his cell."

"Only if I get to take Plagg with me. You said I could if I'd tell Ladybug where I was and prove that I was here."

"Oh, but I was not expecting you to add a clause, my boy. You should have talked it over with me, first. I'm afraid such a change of terms on your part merits one on mine." Hawkmoth said, taking his hand back and fiddling with his collar idly. "How about this: We go back to Adrien's cell, and you listen to a little story of mine, and once I'm finished, you and Plagg may sit in your room together."

Chat eyed Hawkmoth warily before nodding his head towards the pistol. "Well, I don't have much of a choice, now, do I?"

Hawkmoth shook his head slightly, chuckling. He pointed in the direction of the basement floor that led back to the cells, still brandishing his gun.

"No, you do not, my boy. No, you do not."


	6. 6: Felix

"Listen, Chat Noir," Hawkmoth said in an oddly calm tone to the boy, who was sitting at the table. Hawkmoth stood between him and the open door, holding his gun casually and striding around the room idly. Chat felt like a young schoolboy being disciplined by a teacher, sitting in the desk, and he idly played with the cards, setting up a game of solitaire as Hawkmoth started to talk. "I know you're not dumb, and so does Plagg. He's probably told you by now that there have been multiple Chat Noirs throughout history."

"I'd figured it out by now," Chat frowned. "Plagg didn't tell me, but with the info from the fight with the Pharaoh, it was an easy realization to come to."

"Oh, so Plagg didn't tell you?" Hawkmoth asked, with the sort of tone that a friend would talk in when gossiping. It made Chat twitch. Hawkmoth was most certainly _not_ his friend. "Odd. He told the last one."

"The last one?" Chat asked, gaping slightly. How did Hawkmoth know?

"Oh, yes, well, that's part of the story. You see, Hawkmoth's mantle has been passed on, too. You see, the kwamis used to have peace and harmony and all that in ancient times, but then one of them got a little huffy about the way they were treating humans and started the line of Hawkmoths, so the other kwamis followed suit. Made their own little heroes." Hawkmoth examined his nails, which was dumb, because they were under his gloves. "Obviously, knowledge is not passed from person to person. You're not trained, your kwami gives you instincts when in hero form and they start to stick with you in civilian form, that's all. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is Hawkmoth and every other hero's mantle has been passed on. There have been, and always will be, hundreds of Hawkmoths and hundreds of Ladybugs and Chat Noirs and other heroes, and so on."

 _Other heroes?_ Chat thought to himself, before shaking his head again. "If knowledge isn't passed on, how do you know about the last Chat? Did you kn-"

"I'm getting to that," Hawkmoth interrupted, pausing his walking for a moment to raise an eyebrow at Chat like an annoyed teacher. "Listen, there are only two ways you can stop your hero business. You either give it up or you get killed in action. Your kwami can't leave you, no matter if it's an insufferable boy such as yourself."

Chat frowned at him, resisting the urge to flip the man the bird.

"As you can see, Chat Noir is a different person from the civilian. Whether it be a slight change or a totally makeover of personality based on opportunity, Chat Noir has mostly stayed the same, even though his other halves have not. Chat Noir, as I'm told, has always been an excitable, bombastic, flirty, unlucky, self-sacrificing hero. Which has led to more deaths than pass-ons, I'll tell you that right now."

Chat couldn't believe it was possible, but he felt himself frowning even more now. He had ceased to care about the solitaire game and had started gathering the cards up.

"This leads me to think that you, Chat Noir, and that boy, Adrien, are different people. So, onto my story."

 _Finally,_ Chat thought to himself.

"Yes, finally. Don't be shocked by that, Chat, you were thinking out loud," Hawkmoth muttered, turning on his heel towards the door, then sharply turning around again.

"I've been Hawkmoth twice," the man stated, standing up straight and tall. "Or, you could say it's been one long ride with a break in-between. I started one day after my father had given me an hour-long verbal beatdown… Probably the opposite of what Adrien's gone through," he mused, as Chat leaned back slightly. How did he know that?

"He- the kwami, that is- came to me, I suppose just as an akuma would. Only less possession, you know. He told me I might be the youngest boy he'd ever chosen. Odd that he chose me, really- he usually chose strong rulers or businessmen. But no. A young man. I guess he just saw my potential," Hawkmoth chuckled. The sound made Chat squirm in his chair a bit.

"Anyway, things went on like usual. A Chat Noir and a Ladybug appeared together to stop me, and things were going smoothly. Until…" Hawkmoth twirled his cane idly as he paused. "until they found where I was." He smiled at the floor, seeming to stare at memories instead of the tiled floor below his feet.

"They found you like we did?" Chat asked curiously.

"Well, it wouldn't be 'we' in your case, per se, but yes. I had a much more original hiding spot back then, too. It's a pity I lost such a place, really, but I couldn't go back after what happened."

Chat gulped after asking, "What… _did_ happen?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Well, I had four akumatized villains after them in the building, but it didn't work. They kept luring them away and beating them, and by the time the others got to that spot, the duo had moved on. Eventually, it was them, the last villain I had left, and myself on the dark street behind my building. They were quite smart, I'll give them that, but a little distraction threw them off. Some young tourist couple was out for a late-night stroll, and went into quite the wrong area. I had my last villain attack one of the empty buildings nearby in order to crush them. The best case scenario for Ladybug and Chat Noir happened. They saved the couple and told them to run along, whilst simultaneously purifying the villain. It went all according to plan." Hawkmoth smiled, turning on his heel to face Chat. "They were quite predictable. Unlike you. Congratulations on that, I suppose."

Chat growled deep in his throat. He had a sickening feeling he knew what came next in the story.

"Anyway, Ladybug and Chat got sort of off-task sending the confused lady off, and Ladybug escorted her away while Chat made a distraction. There was lots of banter between him and myself as we fought. I have to admit, he was good. But, poor Chat, he left an opening while we were fighting, and it was just muscle memory that struck the winning blow. Ladybug came back just as I did it. Some kind of timing, eh?" Hawkmoth looked at Chat as if he was expecting a grin, then rolled his eyes and continued.

"So, there he was. I watched as she scrambled to the the wall behind them and looked him over. The good old magic on his suit broke, and there… There was Felix."

"Felix." Chat ran the name over his tongue, trying to figure out where he'd heard that name before. Felix, the previous Chat Noir, killed in action.

"I knew him in real life, you know. I hated him. I loathed him, so, so much. He was from a rival family, but that wasn't why I hated him. He could have anything he wanted, but so could I, so we weren't uneven there. We didn't go to the same school, and I couldn't figure out why I had such an obsession with him. But then, there was Bridgette."

Bridgette. It wasn't familiar. Not like Felix. Chat started multitasking, focusing on the story whilst trying to figure out where he'd heard that name.

"She loved him. I didn't know why. He was such a loathsome human being, such that even _Plagg_ didn't like him. But Bridgette obsessed over him, and he never reciprocated her love. I loved her, she loved him, and he loved no one. Imagine my surprise that he was not only an obstacle in one of my lives, but both.

"Ladybug looked as surprised as I did, and as tears ran down her face, she told poor Felix over and over that he'd be alright and all that dribble, and then Felix said probably the only emotionally-driven statement he'd ever uttered. Out there, lying on the street, blood everywhere, he handed Ladybug his ring, and pushed plagg into her arms, and told her to run. Run as fast as she could, and never come back. Not for him, not for herself, and not for Paris. Felix was found dead the next morning, and Bridgette moved away. Ladybug disappeared from the city, and I made the connection eventually. Too bad Felix never knew, now, isn't it?"

Chat balled his fists, hating the fact that he'd been right. "What did you do after that?"

"I stopped."

Chat looked up, and Hawkmoth had paused his idle walking.

"Felix was dead, and Bridgette was gone. There was no reason to continue. That night just… sucked out all the fun."

"But you started up again." Chat pointed out, cocking his head to the side. "Why?"

"Chat, there are some things you will never understand, not through any of your incarnations. Love is one of them." Hawkmoth turned to him. "And do you know _why_ you'll never understand any of them?"

Chat stared back at the man. "Why?"

"Here's why, Chat." Hawkmoth unsheathed his cane, his blade showing flashing under the flourescent light. He walked at a brisk pace towards Chat, pulling the table over with one hand. The box of cards hit the floor, and the contents scattered everywhere. Chat tried to back up, but fell backwards in his chair, knocking the back of his head on the wall behind him. Hawkmoth picked him up by his neck and pushed him against the wall, holding the blade where Chat could see it.

"Because just like every other Chat Noir, I'm going to kill you before you tell Ladybug how you _really_ feel."

Chat fumbled for anything that could help him, but Hawkmoth dropped his cane, grabbing Chat's hand and ripping the ring from his fingers. Chat Noir disappeared and Adrien materialized where the hero had been, in a near-chokehold, grabbing onto Hawkmoth's arm to keep himself from breaking his neck. Hawkmoth released Adrien and he crashed to the floor, onto the chair, and while he rolled over slowly to start getting up, Hawkmoth pocketed the ring, then picked up and reassembled his cane before plucking Plagg out of the air, holding the kwami's head between his forefingers. Adrien got up, and Hawkmoth motioned slightly with the hand he was holding Plagg with.

"A deal is a deal. You listened like the obedient boy you are, so you get your little rat back."

Adrien hurriedly cupped his hands together and held them out, and Hawkmoth dropped Plagg into his waiting palms. Hawkmoth turned on his heel and left, carefully stepping around each card on the floor, before shutting the door behind him with a _clang!_

"Have fun talking to Plagg, I suppose. He can't really help you anymore anyway, now, can he?" Adrien heard the _tap, tap, tap_ of Hawkmoth's footfalls and listened until they were well out of earshot, then turned to Plagg, frowning.

"So, Plagg," Adrien spoke slowly. "What else have you been keeping from me?"


End file.
